Provide yourself with a clean, dry balloon whip and a clean, dry round-bottomed bowl of unlined copper, stainless steel, or pristine plastic. The bowl should be 9 to 10 inches in diameter and 5 to 6 inches deep, and the whip 5 to 6 inches in diameter. To keep the bowl from jumping about, either place it on a wet pot holder or set it in a heavy pot or casserole.
Place the egg whites in the bowl, letting them sit for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature if they have just come from the refrigerator. Start beating at a speed of 2 strokes per second with a vertical, circular motion for 20 to 30 seconds, until the egg whites have begun to foam. Then, for 4 egg whites, add a pinch of salt—salt gives a slight flavor to the egg whites and is added even for sweet soufflés. If you are not using unlined copper, add also a scant ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar for the 4 egg whites.
Using your lower-arm and wrist muscles for beating—shoulder muscles tire quickly—gradually increase the beating speed to 4 strokes per second, beating as much air as possible into the mixture, and circulating the bowl so all the egg whites are entering into the action.
Start testing as soon as the whites seem to be stiff by gathering a dollop in the wires of the whip and holding it upright. If peaks are formed like those in the illustration, you have achieved “stiffly beaten egg whites.” If not, beat a few seconds more and test again. When you arrive at the right consistency, the egg whites should be folded almost immediately into the soufflé mixture.
How to beat egg whites by machine—for 2 or more egg whites
For the successful beating of egg whites by machine, you must have the kind of equipment that will keep all of the egg whites in motion all of the time. This is best accomplished by the kind of whip mechanism that rotates about itself as well as circulating about the bowl, and that bowl must be of a rather narrow and rounded shape. In other words, you want a machine of the type illustrated on this page. If you have the old-fashioned mixer with a wide flat-bottomed bowl, substitute a narrower rounded bowl and you will be more successful. Otherwise use a rounded bowl and a hand-held electric beater that you circulate all around the bowl, pretending you are a heavy-duty mixer.
Always start at slow speed for a minute or more, until the egg whites are broken up and begin to foam; gradually increase your speed and when the whites are softly foaming—in about another minute—beat in ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar and a big pinch of salt (for 4 egg whites). Gradually increase your speed to fast, taking another minute or so. Stand right over your egg whites all the time because it is easy to overbeat them. Stop and check them when the beater begins to leave traces on the surface, and beat to stiff shining peaks as in the previous illustration.
Egg whites with sugar added
When the egg whites are to be folded into a cake or sweet soufflé batter, you are usually directed to sprinkle in sugar after the whites have formed soft peaks, and you continue to the stiff shining-peak stage. Sugar stabilizes the egg whites and also makes for a stiffer texture.
Overbeaten egg whites
You can easily overbeat egg whites in an efficient machine—they lose their velvety shine, turn dull, look grainy and slightly lumpy, and, worse, lose their puffing abilities. You can usually bring them back into shape by beating in another egg white, which will not disturb your recipe proportions.
Freezing egg whites
Raw egg whites freeze, thaw, and whip up perfectly. Two egg whites make ¼ cup, which you can freeze in custard cups, unmold, and pack in plastic containers for later defrosting.
Folding in the egg whites
After the main ingredients of the soufflé have been blended together and seasoned, the beaten egg whites are incorporated gently and delicately so that they will retain as much of their volume as possible. This process is known as folding, and is accomplished as follows:
First stir a big spoonful of egg whites into the soufflé mixture to lighten it. Then with a rubber scraper, scoop the rest of the egg whites on top. Finally, still using your rubber scraper, cut down from the top center of the mixture to the bottom of the saucepan, then draw the scraper quickly toward you against the edge of the pan, and up to the left and out, as illustrated. You are thus bringing a bit of the soufflé mixture at the bottom of the pan up over the egg whites. Continue the movement while slowly rotating the saucepan, and rapidly cutting down, toward you, and out to the left, until the egg whites have been folded into the body of the soufflé. The whole process should not take more than a minute, and do not attempt to be too thorough. It is better to leave a few unblended patches than to deflate the egg whites.
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTES
After your soufflé mold has been filled and is ready for the oven, you may set it aside in a warm place free from drafts. Cover it with a big empty pot or soup kettle. As long as it is protected, it will not begin to collapse for an hour.
SOUFFLÉ MOLDS
Although a soufflé can be cooked in a fairly shallow porcelain or pyrex dish—the usual type sold in America for this purpose—a more practical one is the cylindrical, metal mold known in France as a charlotte. Charlotte molds come in the following sizes, are inexpensive, and can be ordered from one of the French import shops if you cannot find them elsewhere.
CHARLOTTE MOLDS
HEIGHT BOTTOM DIAMETER APPROXIMATE CAPACITY
3⅜ inches 4⅜ inches 3 cups
3½ inches 5½ inches 6 cups
4 inches 6 inches 8 to 9 cups
If you do not have one of these, use a porcelain or pyrex mold holding whatever capacity your recipe specifies. American recipes for soufflés often direct that you use the regular American type of mold and give it added height by tying a double strip of buttered foil or brown paper around the dish and removing it when the soufflé is done. We have found this a nuisance, but if you like this method, calculate the capacity of the mold-plus-paper-collar according to the height and diameter measurements in the preceding table.
Soufflé Molds
Preparing the mold for the soufflé
So that the soufflé may slide easily up during its rise, butter the sides and bottom of the mold heavily. Then roll grated cheese or bread crumbs around in it, paying particular attention to the inner circumference, which must be lightly but evenly coated. Turn the mold upside down and knock it on the table to dislodge excess cheese or bread crumbs.
PLACEMENT IN THE OVEN
A soufflé will always perform as it should if it is placed on a rack in the middle level of a preheated 400-degree oven and the temperature is immediately reduced to 375 degrees.
GENERAL PROPORTIONS
Whether your soufflé is made with cheese, fish, spinach, or anything else, the proportions with few exceptions remain the same.
Ingredients Amounts for a 6-cup mold Amounts for an 8-cup mold
Thick béchamel or velouté sauce 2½ Tb butter
3 Tb flour
1 cup liquid 3½ Tb butter
4½ Tb flour
1½ cups liquid
Egg yolks, beaten into sauce 4 6
Flavoring added: cheese, fish, meat, vegetables ¾ cup 1¼ cups
Stiffly beaten egg whites folded in 5 7 or 8
WHEN IS IT DONE?
After 25 to 30 minutes of baking in a 375-degree oven, the soufflé will have risen 2 or 3 inches over the rim of the mold and will have browned on top. If you like the center creamy, it may be served at this point, but it is fragile and will sink rapidly. It will collapse less readily if you allow it to cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until a trussing needle or thin knife plunged into the center through the side of the puff comes out clean. A well-cooked soufflé will stay puffed for about 5 minutes in the turned-off hot oven. As it cools, it begins to sink. Therefore, there should be no lingering when a soufflé is to be eaten.
HOW TO SERVE A SOUFFLÉ
Puncture the top of the soufflé lightly with a serving spoon and fork—held vertically—and spread it apart for each serving.
SOUFFLÉ AU FROMAGE
[Cheese Soufflé]
> This recipe is intended as a detailed guide to those that follow. All main-course soufflés follow this general pattern:
For 4 people
The soufflé sauce base
A 6-cup soufflé mold
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1 tsp butter
1 Tb grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese
Measure out all your ingredients. Butter inside of soufflé mold and sprinkle with cheese.
3 Tb butter
A 2½-quart saucepan
3 Tb flour
A wooden spatula or spoon
1 cup boiling milk
A wire whip
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
Melt the butter in the saucepan. Stir in the flour with a wooden spatula or spoon and cook over moderate heat until butter and flour foam together for 2 minutes without browning. Remove from heat; when mixture has stopped bubbling, pour in all the boiling milk at once. Beat vigorously with a wire whip until blended. Beat in the seasonings. Return over moderately high heat and boil, stirring with the wire whip, for 1 minute. Sauce will be very thick.
4 egg yolks
Remove from heat. Immediately start to separate the eggs. Drop the white into the egg white bowl, and the yolk into the center of the hot sauce. Beat the yolk into the sauce with the wire whip. Continue in the same manner with the rest of the eggs. Correct seasoning.
(*) May be prepared ahead to this point. Dot top of sauce with butter. Heat to tepid before continuing.
The egg whites and cheese
5 egg whites
A pinch of salt
Coarsely grated Swiss, or Swiss and Parmesan cheese—¾ to 1 cup (3 to 4 ounces) depending on its strength
Add an extra egg white to the ones in the bowl and beat with the salt until stiff, as described and illustrated. Stir a big spoonful (about one quarter of the egg whites) into the sauce. Stir in all but a tablespoon of the cheese. Delicately fold in the rest of the egg whites. Be careful not to overfold.
Baking
Turn the soufflé mixture into the prepared mold, which should be almost three quarters full. Tap bottom of mold lightly on the table, and smooth the surface of the soufflé with the flat of a knife. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Set on a rack in middle level of preheated 400-degree oven and immediately turn heat down to 375. (Do not open oven door for 20 minutes.) In 25 to 30 minutes the soufflé will have puffed about 2 inches over the rim of the mold, and the top will be nicely browned. Bake 4 to 5 minutes more to firm it up, then serve at once.
VARIATION
Soufflé Vendčme
[Soufflé with Poached Eggs]
Prepare the soufflé mixture as in the preceding master recipe. Turn half of it into the prepared mold. Arrange 4 to 6 cold poached eggs over the soufflé, and cover with the rest of the soufflé mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 375-degree oven. Dig carefully into the soufflé so as to lift out an unbroken egg with each serving. Poached eggs also may be baked in the following spinach soufflé:
SOUFFLÉ AUX ÉPINARDS
[Spinach Soufflé]
For 4 people
A 6-cup soufflé mold
Butter the mold and sprinkle with cheese. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Measure out your ingredients.
An enameled saucepan
1 Tb minced shallots or green onion
1 Tb butter
¾ cup blanched chopped spinach (or chopped frozen spinach—which will take several minutes more cooking)
¼ tsp salt
Cook the shallots or onions for a moment in the butter. Add spinach and salt, and stir over moderately high heat for several minutes to evaporate as much moisture as possible from the spinach. Remove from heat.
The soufflé sauce base
Prepare the soufflé sauce base. After the egg yolks have been beaten in, stir in the spinach. Correct seasoning.
5 egg whites
A pinch of salt
⅓ to ½ cup (1½ to 2 ounces) grated Swiss cheese
Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff. Stir one fourth of them into the sauce. Stir in all but a tablespoon of the cheese. Fold in the rest of the egg whites and turn mixture into prepared mold. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and set on a rack in the middle level of preheated oven. Turn heat down to 375 degrees and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
VARIATIONS to be added to the preceding spinach soufflé:
Ham
⅓ cup finely minced boiled ham
Mushrooms
¼ lb. finely minced mushrooms
1 Tb butter
Salt and pepper
Cook the ham with the butter and shallots for a moment before adding the spinach.
A handful at a time, twist the mushrooms in the corner of a towel to extract their juice. Sauté in the butter for 5 minutes or so until the mushroom pieces begin to separate from one another. Season to taste. Stir them into the soufflé mixture with the spinach.
Other vegetable soufflés
These are all done in exactly the same manner as the spinach soufflé. Use ¾ cup of cooked vegetables, finely diced or pureed, such as mushrooms, broccoli, artichoke hearts, or asparagus tips.
SOUFFLÉ DE SAUMON
[Salmon Soufflé]
For 4 people
A 6-cup soufflé mold
1 tsp butter
1 Tb grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese
Butter the mold and sprinkle with cheese. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Measure out all your ingredients.
2 Tb minced shallots or green onions
3 Tb butter
A 2½-quart saucepan
3 Tb flour
1 cup boiling liquid (juice from canned salmon, if any, and milk)
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
1 Tb tomato paste (for color)
½ tsp oregano or marjoram
Cook the shallots or onions in the butter for a moment in the saucepan. Add the flour and cook 2 minutes. Off heat, beat in the boiling liquid, then the seasonings, tomato paste, and herbs. Bring to boil, stirring, for 1 minute.
4 egg yolks
¾ cup shredded cooked or canned salmon
½ cup (2 ounces) grated Swiss cheese
Off heat, beat in the egg yolks one by one. Then beat in the salmon and all but a tablespoon of cheese.
5 egg whites
A pinch of salt
Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff. Stir one fourth of them into the soufflé mixture. Fold in the rest. Turn into prepared mold and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Set in middle level of preheated oven. Turn heat down to 375 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes.
VARIATIONS
With the same method and proportions, you can make a soufflé using ¾ cup of any of the following:
Flaked canned tuna or any cooked fish
Finely diced or ground cooked lobster, shrimp, or crab
Ground cooked chicken or turkey
Puréed cooked sweetbreads or brains
If you wish to use raw fish or chicken, grind it, add it to the sauce base with the boiling milk, and boil for 2 minutes. Then beat in the egg yolks and proceed with the recipe.
FISH SOUFFLÉS FROM THE
HAUTE CUISINE
These are only more complicated than the preceding soufflés in that each requires fish filets poached in white wine, and each is accompanied by a delicious type of hollandaise called sauce mousseline sabayon. The fish may be poached ahead of time, and the soufflé sauce base as well as the hollandaise may also be prepared in advance. Remember that if the hollandaise is to wait, it must be kept barely warm or it will thin out. If it is set aside to cool, reheat it very gently and not too much.
SOUFFLÉ DE POISSON
[Fish Soufflé]
For 4 to 6 people
A 6-cup soufflé mold
1 tsp butter
1 Tb grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese
; Butter the mold and sprinkle with cheese. Measure out ingredients. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Preparing the fish
¾ lb. skinless flounder filets
¼ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
1 Tb minced shallots or green onions
½ cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
The soufflé mixture
2½ Tb flour
3 Tb butter
A 2½-quart saucepan
1 cup boiling milk
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
The ground fish
Grind half the fish; you will have ⅔ to ¾ cup of purée. Set it aside. Following directions for fish filets in white wine, season the rest of the filets, arrange them in a buttered baking dish with the shallots, wine, and enough water barely to cover them. Bring to the simmer, cover with buttered paper, and bake in bottom third of oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until a fork just pierces them easily. Strain out all the cooking liquor, boil it down in an enameled saucepan until it has reduced to ¼ cup, and set it aside until later for your sauce mousseline sabayon.
Cook the flour and butter together slowly in the saucepan for 2 minutes without coloring. Off heat, beat in the boiling milk, salt, pepper, and ground fish. Boil, stirring, for 2 minutes.
4 egg yolks